Can a romance book get any better than Susan Donovan's HE LOVES LUCY? I think not! From true-to-life characters, deep emotion, witty dialogue, and red-hot sexual tension, this book has the one thing that contemporary romances should have-everything!

Lucy Cunningham is a marketing executive for the advertising firm of Sherrod & Thoms. And she's hit upon the absolutely perfect idea for a gimmick for the Palm Club of Miami Beach, Florida-bring in an overweight woman, throw her into the capable hands of a personal trainer, vow to lose one hundred pounds in a year, and let the television show WakeUp Miami detail each achievement and setback. It was an excellent idea, until the powers-that-be decided that Lucy-and her two hundred and thirty some pounds-be the human guinea pig in this marketing campaign.

Threatened by the fact that she'll have to give up Milk Duds, extra-cheese pizza, and butter brickle ice cream, Lucy is overwhelmed by the task ahead of her. Sure, ever since the debacle of being the slump buster for Pitt State's football team, she's been eating herself into oblivion, and something obviously needs to change. But working with a Ken look-a-like named Theodore Redmond was never part of the deal!

From the first time Theo is forced to perform CPR on a candy-choking, overweight loudmouth by the name of Lucy, he's smitten by her courageous attitude and brave strength in the face of adversity. As for Lucy, being in the presence of Theo's male perfection is taking a toll on her already fragile hormones.

As Stephan Sherrod, her boss, comes close to having a mental breakdown over Lucy's sudden stardom and weight loss; as Theo's rebuffed coworker Lola DiPaolo attempts to bring down the Palm Club; as Lucy's brother, Dan, falls in lust with her new model friend, Gia Altamonte; as Lucy's sister, Mary Fran, goes through a marital crisis, you just know that HE LOVES LUCY is heading toward one heck of an ending!

Susan Donovan has taken a premise that might have failed, and turned it into a funny, poignant, truly romantic story. I love romance books that feature real-sized characters, and Lucy is definitely that. I have to admit that I was at first worried about Theo's feelings for Lucy-was he only going to fall head-over-heels once Lucy was a stick-thin version of her former self? As I learned, there was nothing to fear! At the end of the story, Lucy is still not a beanpole, and Theo shows that behind his gorgeous exterior lies a heart of gold.

Theo is the kind of hero I love the best, a mix of alpha male. Theo dropped out of medical school to care for his brother Buddy. Sixteen years old and born with Downs Syndrome, Buddy, is the kind of brother anyone would want. An athlete in the Special Olympics, his antics and no-holds-barred advice to his older brother are not to be missed.

The supporting cast of characters only adds to the charm of Lucy and Theo's story. An excellent book by an excellent author, HE LOVES LUCY goes onto my keeper shelf, in the to-be-read-again category. ( )

Very fun book! You will be cheering Lucy on the whole time! ( )

I love stories about chubby chicks...I don't love stories in which the chubby chicks feel compelled to loose weight to win the guy. BUT this one is beyond different. That said, let me tell you about this book. Lucy is an ad exec who wins an important account for a health club. A campaign is dreamed up that she would loose a LOT of weight and do it in front of TV cameras, AND receive a cash incentive for every pound lost. (every chubby chicks worst nightmare, let me tell you) Enter weight loss expert Theo (or rather Theo-dorable) a hunk of a trainer who will also get a cash incentive for her total pounds shed.

All of us who have read romance knows what's going to happen to them...I won't fudge and say it won't. And I won't give away any secrets, but what I will tell you is that the relationship they DO form is more true-to-life than anything I've ever read in a romance. You will pee in your pants laughing at some scenes, get so angry at times you want to chew nails (scenes with Theo's brother spring to mind), cry copious tears, cheer with Lucy and finally come to love Lucy, as everyones else has.

Read it - you won't be sorry. (at least I hope you won't *grin*) ( )

I don't know if it's because, as a fat chick, I found Lucy's journey to thin too easy, or because I was jealous, or what, but this was good but not amazing. The story idea was cute, the characters were great, but there was something that just didn't work 100% for me here. It's still worth reading, it was still a good book, but it wasn't a great one. ( )

Cute, light, fun. Very likeable characters. An easy summer read. ( )